Gambit
by Scrapbastard
Summary: Her secret exposed to the world, Marinette must face the repercussions of her mistake. Those consequences become even more real than she could have anticipated when an unexpected visitor turns up in her home. A short, suspenseful one off. Please read my author's note. And thanks!


**Thanks for reading my fanfiction. I've only seen up to the first half of season 3, so please be aware that there may be some continuity errors, and this fic may break from canon in some places. Also, I watch the show in French, so I've called Hawk Moth and Cat Noir by the name they use in France, which is Papillon and Chat Noir respectively. Thank you for understanding.**

* * *

Covering her face with her schoolbag, Marinette ran down the sidewalk, chased by a veritable mob of paparazzi. It had been like this all day, since this morning. One slip up. One little mistake was all it took, now everything was different. The world knew.

She could have sworn there was no one around when she detransformed that morning. She always triple checked. She knew the risks, but she was always so careful. But somehow, this one time, she wasn't got careless. All it took was one passerby with a camera phone to destroy everything she had worked so hard to protect.

Of course, when she arrived at school (late as always), word had already spread by way of the internet. That's how she came to find out that her secret was blown. She was swarmed by a mass of her schoolmates, all whipped into a frenzy by the recent revelation. Her friend Alya managed to help her put some distance between the crowd and herself. but was overcome by her own inane curiosity and the stress became unbearable, so Marinette broke away from her as well.

She didn't go to school that day. She spent all day looking for a place to hide out from the prying eyes of the public, but to no avail. Everywhere she went, people with their cameras and their questions assaulted her every sense. She barely had time to consider the grander consequences of her secret identity becoming common knowledge. She had to focus on surviving today.

She took a sharp turn down an alleyway and quickly transformed before she could be pursued. As the press rounded the corner she was already swinging away from them, up and out of the alley, over the rooftops, and toward home.

She knew her house would not be a safe place for her either, but she couldn't just disappear and let her parents worry. She had to stop off, at least to tell them she'd be away for a while. They'd understand. They wouldn't have a choice, it was for their own good.

As she descended onto the roof top of her building, she noticed the base of it swarming with camera crews. No doubt all waiting for her to return. The lights were off in the bakery, so it seemed as though her parents had already found out and had the foresight to close up shop before they became victims of the same plight that was now plaguing her.

She landed on the patio and detransformed. Tikki gave her a silent hug, which she returned with her hands, despondently. Everything was different now.

She made her way down the stairs to her room.

"Mom?" She cried out, desperately. "Dad? I'm home!"

She threw open the hatch to the living room below and descended the stairs. The thought of facing her parents made her eyes sting. She just needed to hear them tell her everything would be okay. That they'd take care of it. That there was nothing to be scared of. Like they did when she was a little girl.

"Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry, I didn't tell you, I-"

Marinette stopped halfway down the stairs. She didn't move. She didn't even breathe. How could she? She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the blood was rushing to her head. Her mouth hung open and her head felt hot, and she was so, so dizzy. She put a hand on the wall and slowly lowered herself to keep from fainting.

"Hello, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." There he was. In the flesh. Standing in her living room. He was even smiling. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show up."

Marinette didn't have any words. She couldn't make a sound if she wanted to. She could barely even think. Her eyes, wide, bulging, stared straight ahead at the floor in front of her. She forced the muscles in her neck to turn her head so she could take in the horror before her.

Papillon. The menace. The wanted criminal. Standing in the center of the room. Her mother and father, seated at the table, holding hands above the table. They looked at her. They looked so, so scared.

"I have to say I never expected this stroke of good luck, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I swear, some mornings, you wake up, and everything falls into place." He mused, looking at some of the family portraits displayed on the wall. He rubbed his chin. Every motion was so deliberate and calculated. And every motion made Marinette flinch.

"Please..." Marinette squeaked. She was shaking. Her hand squeezed the banister so hard it hurt.

"Mm? Speak up, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Hard to believe I'm speaking to my greatest enemy." He said, leaning on his cane, casually. He picked a piece of dust off of his suit and flicked it away. "What happened to that Ladybug bravado? That courage? That determination?"

"Please, don't hurt them." Marinette pleaded. He chuckled, and walked over to the table, causing her parents to lean away from him reflexively. "They're not your enemy."

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng... May I call you Marinette? Marinette, I would never dream of hurting your parents." He explained, pulling a chair out and resting one leather spat upon it. "Tom, Sabine, have I done anything to hurt you? Are you injured in any way?"

They stared at him. Her father opened his mouth, but didn't say any words.

"Well" He leaned in, clutching his cane tightly, "Tell your daughter the truth."

"W-We're okay, honey. We're fine."

Marinette exhaled. It wasn't exactly relief that she felt, but it helped. Just enough.

"Marinette, you are a high school student. You're a girl like any other. I have no desire to hurt you, or your family." Papillon explained, still smiling as if he had just won a game of chess. "What kind of man would that make me?"

"You're evil." Marinette spat. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Evil is... subjective. I wouldn't say I'm such a bad guy. I just..." He paused, and the smile fell from his face for just a moment, before he continued. "I just want the things I want. And I would do anything to get them."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, and, not letting him out of her sight, began to slowly descend the stairs until she was in the living room, standing just across from him. She stood as confidently as she could, but she couldn't keep her knees from quivering.

"Like I said, Marinette, I have no reason to hurt you or your family." Papillon reminded her. He looked her dead in the eyes, and Marinette felt a cold shiver run up her spine. "Not your family, or your friends, Alya or Nino. I really don't want to hurt your crush, Adrien Agreste, or to come after your class, Ms. Bustier's, at the school down the street. After all, why would I? They're all fine, upstanding citizens of Paris."

Marinette swallowed.

"You can ensure their safety, right now." He said, holding out his hand. "You know how."

"Don't do it, Marinette!" Her mother shouted. Without facing them, Papillon held out a hand. She shut her mouth and looked down at her feet.

"H-How do I know that you'll keep your word?" Marinette said, trying her best to negotiate with the losing hand she'd been dealt. There was only one way out of this, but at least she could stall. Try to think of something.

"Marinette. What would I have to gain by hurting those around you? Once I have your Miraculous, it would be a wasted effort. You can't give me anything more than that, after all. You're a student Marinette. You should be studying. Going on dates. Going out with friends. The burden of saving Paris is too great for a young girl like you. Allow me to ease that burden."

"And once you have my, Miraculous, then what?" She interrogated, looking around the room for something she could swing at him.

"You already know what I'll do, Marinette." He said, his brow furrowing slightly.

"I can't stop you, so what's the harm in telling me? I at least want to know what we're in for." She bargained. He looked at her, long and hard, before shrugging.

"Well, then I'll akumatize someone, as I do." He explained, casually. "Chat Noir can't purify an Akuma, so he'll have to give up his Miraculous in exchange for my recalling it. Then I will have both, and I'll make my wish."

"And you'll, what, wish for world domination?" She asked. Now she really was curious. All this time, she never truly knew what he wanted.

"World domination?" He laughed. "What do you take me for, a Bond villain? Politics bore me, Marinette. I just have one small wish. One little thing. Something I want."

She stared at him, or rather past him. She did her best not to let her expression change, though she couldn't help if her eyebrows raised a little bit when she saw him peak in through the window. His blonde hair and green eyes were a sight to behold after what she had dealt with. He was hanging on the window landing, looking in, looking right at her. He made several hand gestures, pantomiming the motion of clubbing someone over the head, then pointing to Papillon, who was facing away from him.

Marinette nodded in an exaggerated fashion, which made Papillon cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, sounds about right." She said, still nodding, "and what is your wish?"

"That's my business, Marinette." Papillon snapped, harshly. She could tell it was a sensitive subject just from the way he spoke about it. "Rest assured, it's a small thing. Paris wouldn't even notice a difference."

There was a moment of silence as Marinette stared at him, still shaking just a bit. On the opposite rooftop, Chat Noir was getting a running start. The young girl sighed deeply and began to raise her arms slowly toward her earrings.

"Okay, Papillon. You win." She said, defeated. A wicked grin split across his grim visage, as Papillon held out his hand.

"Finally." He muttered, the excitement in his voice was building. His eyes were more crazed than ever. "It's finally happening."

There was the sound of breaking glass. Marinette ducked and put her hands over her head. Papillon whipped around just in time to receive the sole of a shoe squarely in the face. Tom and Sabine shot up, startled, and hugged the wall, and each other.

Marinette whispered, "Tikki, Spots On."

"Picking on a little girl, Papillon?" Chat teased, standing on his arch rival's back. "Pretty low, even for you."

Papillon rose, causing the super hero on his spine to leap off and join his comrade by her side. With a shout, Papillon came for them, but his attack was effortlessly dodged. He growled at them.

"You know, I totally knew all along." Chat teased, turning slightly toward her with a wink. "Totally figured it out like... day one."

"Now is not the time, Chat." Ladybug scolded. He smiled at her, the usual, reassuring smile. The one that he used to let her know that everything was going to be okay.

Papillon sneered at them. "Very well. You've saved me the trouble of hunting you down, Chat. Now you can both hand me your miraculous."

Papillon took a step toward Marinette's parents and unsheathed the sword in his cane, pointing it at them. "Or I can't promise the safety of our gracious hosts."

"Easy there, bug boy." Chat said, seemingly unfazed by his threats. Ladybug swallowed and reached out a hand toward her parents but Chat put a hand on her shoulder to stay her. He didn't take his eyes off the monster before them.

He took his hand and raised it, proudly displaying the ring on his finger, the source of his power. He took his other hand and extended his index finger, placing it directly on the ring.

"You think you can reach them before I say my magic word, Papi?"

"What!" Ladybug and Papillon both exclaimed. They froze, agape, both staring at him.

"You know my power. I can destroy anything I touch. You make one wrong move, and I'll activate my power, and you can kiss this ring, and your wish, goodbye."

Papillon and Chat Noir stared each other down, neither making even a slight movement. Papillon displayed a nasty grimace, while Chat's face was the picture of confidence.

"You wouldn't." Papillon challenged.

"Oh but I would! I've had this contingency in my back pocket for a while. Paris needs Ladybug to stop you," Chat explained, shrugging smugly, "but it doesn't need Chat Noir. Ladybug has lots of friends."

"You don't even know if it would work! You're bluffing." Papillon shouted, trying to regain his composure and regain the upper hand.

"You're right, I don't know. Do you?" Chat smiled smugly. He tapped his finger against the ring.

Papillon growled, but he didn't make a move.

"Let me tell you how this is going to work." Chat began, not taking his finger off his ring. "Nothing is going to happen to Marinette's friends or family. Not today. Not ever. Not if you ever want your hands on this ring."

Papillon clenched his fist and squeezed his eyes shut. Chat smiled. He could tell this was really getting to him. Which he appreciated.

"Now if I were you, I'd flutter nice and slowly out of that window behind you, like the cute little butterfly you are." Chat suggested, smiling. His cocky attitude was infectious, and Ladybug was even starting to feel better. More sure. "And no sudden movements, gnat."

Papillon stood there for a moment longer, thinking, searching for a way to turn this around. After a moment of hesitation, he sheathed his sword. It was checkmate. There was nothing he could do this time.

"Very well done, Chat Noir. I applaud you. But know that I have gained a distinct advantage today, and I will find a-"

"Oh, just shut up!" Ladybug screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at the man. Papillon recoiled in surprise. Even Chat jumped, though he didn't take his finger off the ring. "You come in to my house, you take my parents hostage, you threaten my friends, and after all that, we've still beaten you! And we always will! Because it doesn't matter what you know. What advantage you think you have. You are in our city. And as long as we're here, we will fight you, every day, if we have to. We will never let you win. You've already lost. You just haven't realized it yet."

Papillon stared at her for a moment, caught slightly off guard by her sudden outburst. It only took him a moment to regain his composure. He sneered at the girl and took a step back.

"We'll see about that, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. We'll see."

Slowly, and without turning around, Papillon paced toward the window, keeping his eye on them. When he reached the window he began to climb out, but stopped, his foot resting on the window sill. He stood there, his eyes on the both of them. Simply staring.

Staring. For an uncomfortably long time.

"Did... Did it work?" Chat asked, after some nervous hesitation. Ladybug looked at him and then looked around the room. She took a step toward Papillon, but he didn't move. She took another step. He stood his ground. There was silence.

"Boo!" Queen Bee shouted, poking her head around the window frame. Everyone in the room jumped, and she burst out laughing. Lowering herself into the room, she smiled and shook her head. "You should have seen the look on your faces. Of course it worked! I don't make mistakes."

She entered the room and took a look around, drinking in the sight of a modest, middle class home. "This is where you live, hm? Drab. Just like you, Marinette."

"Uh... thanks, Chloe. I think." Ladybug sighed. "Rena, all clear."

Tom and Sabine evaporated in a puff of smoke, and Rena Rouge came down from the room upstairs. She immediately gave Ladybug a hug, and sighed.

"I gotta say, girl, for a minute there, I was starting to sweat." Rena sighed. Ladybug hugged her back and smiled.

"Oh, you were sweating?" Ladybug asked, sarcastically, "How do you think I felt?"

Chat Noir was entertaining himself by waving his hand in front of Papillon's frozen face. "Man, for a plan we only had a morning to make, this really went off without a hitch, huh?"

"All thanks to me." Queen Bee interjected. Normally this kind of statement would annoy Ladybug, but she was too happy at this moment to care.

"Thanks for putting my parents up at the hotel, Chloe. I owe you so much." Ladybug said, graciously. Queen Bee gave her the side eye, but couldn't help smiling. Ladybug extended a hand to her.

"You owe me, Marinette. I'm gonna make sure the whole school knows!" She laughed, shaking her hand.

"So this is it, huh? We really got him?" Rena questioned, poking the frozen villain with curiosity. "I keep expecting him to... I don't know. Break free and run off to fight another day."

"Not this time."

Ladybug walked over to him, eyeing him. He seemed so harmless now. Why was she ever scared of this sad, strange old man?

Everyone in the room took a long, hard look at their enemy. There he was. The man responsible for all the pain in Paris. No one could find any words that would be appropriate for this moment.

"His suit is totally ridiculous. And what is with that cowl? Cowls are so comic book style. It's all about eye masks these days." Queen Bee finally spoke, breaking the tense silence. Everyone broke out laughing, not necessarily at Papillon's poor taste in fashion.

"When that video of me got spread around, I knew we had to trap him now or it would be game over," Lady bug explained, leaning on the wall. She was still shaking a little bit. Of all of them, it turned out she was the worst actor. "But I really wasn't sure it would work. Seemed too simple."

Chat Noir smiled and took Ladybug's hand. She didn't even really mind. "But it did work! We won! It's over!"

Rena Rouge and Queen Bee joined in the revelry, cheering and high fiving. Only Ladybug seemed to remain calm and level headed.

"Not quite. There's still loose ends. Mayura is out there somewhere, and we need to deal with her, but..."

"Oh, come on, Bugaboo! You can celebrate! Just a little bit!" Chat Noir encouraged. Ladybug smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Spots off."

Marinette stood in her living room, surrounded by friends. She took a deep sigh of relief and sat down on the couch, throwing her head back.

"What a day." She whispered to herself.

"Can I be honest about something?" Rena Rouge said, sitting down next to her best friend. Marinette's head rolled off the back of the couch and came to rest on Rena's shoulder. "I thought it might be you."

"Yeah?" Marinette chimed. She didn't really mind who knew at this point. She was safe. Her job was mostly done.

"Oh yeah. I mean, you guys have the same hair. And you're always late, so I thought something was going on." Rena explained, smugly. "Also, you're the same height. And the same eye color."

Marinette laughed quietly. "It was pretty obvious in hindsight, huh?"

"I never thought someone as... Well," Queen Bee paused. She chose her next words carefully. "I didn't think Ladybug and Marinette could be the same person."

"Yeah, obvious to who exactly?" Chat Noir piped up. He was frantically waving his arms and making big, dumb gestures. "How am I just now noticing the hair! And the eyes! Like duh!"

Everyone laughed. It felt good to laugh.

"Does this mean we get to see who Chat Noir is?" Rena Rouge joked, elbowing Queen Bee, who gave her a disdainful look that discouraged Rena from trying to be too friendly with her.

"I'm afraid not!" Chat Noir teased. "Not until we've got Mayura's miraculous safe in our custody. But I'll do you one better! Who wants to find out who this guy is?" He offered, pointing a thumb toward the still frozen Papillon.

"Care to do the honors, Kitty?" Marinette asked with a wave of her hand. Chat grinned widely and practically skipped over to the villain, still standing in the window.

"Like... sometime before I detransform and my powers wear off, Chat." Queen Bee moaned. Chat dismissed her with an eye roll.

"No, I want to savor this." He replied, putting his hand on his brooch. "This is going to be so good."

With a smile, Chat Noir tugged at Papillon's miraculous, pulling it clean off. And with a smile, he watched as Papillon began to detransform.

His smile soon faded.


End file.
